Patients in Fremont ask a dermatologist, “What is psoriasis and what are its causes?”

Psoriasis affects nearly 7.5 million people in the United States, most commonly adults, although children and teens are also susceptible. A disorder of the immune system, psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that produces skin cells too rapidly, causing flaking and patches of skin, called plaques, which typically form on the hands, feet, elbows, knees, lower back, fingernails, face, and scalp. These patches appear in varying sizes and are often thick, white, red, or silver in color.

While psoriasis is not contagious, patients often feel self-conscious about their appearances. In certain instances, the condition may be genetic, or may be triggered by infections, dry skin, cold and dry temperatures, sun exposure, alcohol, tobacco, stress, skin injury, or some medications. There is no current, permanent cure although treatments have advanced in recent years and the disorder is manageable. Symptoms range from mild to severe, presenting from a small rash to covering large portions of the skin. Patients may experience itching or sensitive skin, to varying degrees of discomfort.

There are seven types of psoriasis. A patient may have an inflammation of one type, which may go away or into remission, only to be followed by an occurrence of a different type. The most common type of psoriasis, affecting nearly 80 percent of sufferers, is plaque psoriasis, also called psoriasis vulgaris. The types may be diagnosed by the appearance and the location on the skin. The other types of psoriasis are guttate, inverse, pustular, erythrodermic, nail, and psoriatic arthritis.

At Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic and Laser Surgery, with offices in Fremont and Milpitas, CA, Dr. Sunil Dhawan and his colleagues, Dr. Robert Roth, Dr. Jeffrey Carmel, and Dr. Erik Cabral are board certified physicians specializing in dermatology. Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic and Laser Surgery has been serving the Bay Area, including Newark, Union City, Hayward, San Leandro, San Jose, and Pleasanton since 1965. Our practice offers a comprehensive array of medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology services.

Treatment for psoriasis varies by patient. Some of the procedures that may help patients to manage the condition include:

Topical or oral medicationsM

Prescription injections

UVA light treatment

Narrowband UVB treatment

XTRAC Excimer Laser Therapy – the latest advanced technology which is clinically-proven and cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of psoriasis and vitiligo

For more information about psoriasis treatment, contact our friendly and professional team at Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic and Laser Surgery at 855-717-1755 in Fremont, and 855-717-1756 in Milpitas.